Propulsion mechanism



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Sept. 22, 1931. w, L

PROPULSION MECHANISM Filed Aug. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l [a WAA7D W./7AL z.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 22, 1931. E, w L 1,824,016

PROPULS ION MECHANI SM Filed Aug. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-sheet 2 I [D wA/m W ZA INVENTOR ATTORN EY Filed Aug 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet '5 o o o O E0 WARD W. /7/ALL INVENTOR ATTORNEY fatented Sept. 22, 1931 f rmwamiiwpmfkg of immense 1-- i i sp nanmi he: in maefsenn ni jifmii I f My present invention 'r'el atestci proved propulsion mechanism fo1" 'Wetar craft, the mechanism being oi" endless chain type with blades or paddles operating- 5 along the keel. line of a fiat bottom Boat; The propulsion mechanism, Whil'efiditptd for various types of hoats,-'is especially'de-- permits navigation I tively shallow watefl as wel l" as: 1 :dgpe Waters; 7

1 provide a high- With impulses eliminates substantially all vibrations-w thin boat. Means are also provided fog cash-inn "ing,

impact of the paddles and endless chains with the water to-f urther dee ease vibratin V in the boat, andtension ing-devi'ees areuti lized for taking up wear in the chains-and 2'5" insuring the prop-e taqufne'ss 7 f ith w propeller. r it V In carrying out my invention I enelnse the motor and longitirdinal' shaft 01' c drive shaftwithi-n a li'onsing set-he keel-line of the heatand the appen:

flight of the endlesspi opell'er operatesht a: J p

' Thea usual windshield 7 l and instrument housinga'bove-the motor: browsing.-

The lower fight; on woking flrglitfefi operates: helewthe housing and along the keel line beneatlt the endless: propeller flat bottom ofthe boats '1 The invention consists: 'eentainr 'meli combinations and: arnan'gementsz ofi pants-qaxs-- will hereinafter be more fully set forth: and

W claimed; In i the accompanying drawings I? have illustratedone complete examrple of the physical embodiment of my inneritionzwhene; in the parts are combined la*ndrar1=aH'gesl-aci+" cordingto the: best mode". I havee' thius fan 4 devised: for the practical appiieaition oiiftlfe'f s '2 openin'gtliroug hi the hottomi o-f the boat to the? watnli llheahousing is provided;with' principles of 'myrin-Vention.

x Figure I. s: a viewinas'rde elevation-oi a;

pleasure: boat equipped with the propnlsierr'.

' ableplatesi ontiboands' aw providedfor the"- mechanismof my invention. 5U

signed for use with motonbeatsgpleasare' craft, or speedboa'tgof lightd raft; andfithe I0" arrangement of theprepnlsion of the boat inor absorbing the? shock or" ef dle housing 13 provides aninterior 'w ayfor Figure; 2 is a -ventical :f.longit1idina:li

tional View alon the keel line of the boat, asafi Fig tIre13.;

-F'i g1fie amen-view; showing the cock pit and fore and; faft arrangement of. the seaitsg' the propeller mechanism being indi- 1 catedby-dottedhnesz 1 e p Fignre eiis anenlaiged transverse sectionarviewef thebeat; a 'idshipsg as at line @Figmw, I

'Fig'ufe enlarged detail viewa e ly; in "sect on, show'ifin'g anendofone' of the pi opel ler's onpad the chain,' and one of thje ionn 'ra and-"rollers, for

t v J M; figure his a fragmentary View; lookin thei; in :-Figiure '5 and partly broken away i-gmie? ie a detail erspective View of one 0t thewtboargd uidelinks of the endless chains. p I

igfure is} a detail; vertical sectional View longitudinally ofthe boat, at'the forward e nd ef 'tlreiehaifi drive.

1m orderthatthe general arrangement and installation: 0d? the propelling equipment may readily be understood I have illustrated azpl'easuae cnattwith the usualcockpit 1 and steering apparatus v2; the boat being are rafige'dz with a forward passenger compartment; 3,i withtnansverse seats 4; and-an aft- COmIfMtIHGIHi EI withvlongitudinalseats 6.

boamdiSva-re: illustrated; and the rudderfi at thesternzand; deck housing 10 at; the new or stcm=-ofi:-the' loat are shown: The boat is fashimed with the usual flat bottom 11 and hulk constructed in usual manner.

wExtendingi longitudinally 'of the boat and terminatingxnear the bow and stern, a pad-f the inwardly? moving; uppenfiight of the endlessyxpropeller and the housing ends in a;-=cuir 'ved',-fonward lslrield- 14; and oomph-'- ment'arycurved; shield 15 at the stern of the boanwhe are: and aft endeef the housing as upright sidewalls 1 6; and: doors or remevhousingztozpemnit access to its interior-when it, by sliding the bearing The-propeller shaft 22 .and the driven tor housing 18 in which the motor 19 is installed, the 'motor housing being an enclosure beneath the paddle housing and ac -v cessible in suitable manner for work on the motor when necessary. The usual'control lever C is indicated for controllingithecmo tor. The bottom 20 of the motor housing is flush with the inner wall of the doublet-*- bottom of the hull and the motor housing is,

. sealed against leakage ofwater to its in:

tenor.

The longitudinally extending engine i or drive shaft 21 projects. through a, suitable packing in the rearoraft wall of the versely arranged propeller shaft 22 bysuitable transmission mechanism indicated; by dotted lines at T in Figure 3. The; trans- 2 5;versely arranged propeller shaft is journaled in bearings 23 secured in the side i walls of the paddle. housing or of the aft enclosure 15, while an idler or driven, trans:

versely arranged shaft 24, which extends ag 'through' the forward,; shielded enclosure, 14,

is provided with adjustable bearings, as (-25.

The bearings 25 are conventional slide blocks, 'one at each end 'of the 'shaft,;and they are supported in pairscof-.;groovedplates 26, arranged horizontallyup'on the vertical walls of the enclosure-14 of the paddle housing. Each bearing 25h'as an ad justing or draw bar 27 extending toward' the bow of the boat and through a brace 49, board or plate 28 fixed within and extend-. ing transversely of the bow of the boat bee:

neath the deck 10. The brace 28 :hasguide plates 29 thereon for the bars, .and each of.

these bars is provided with 'a coiled spring ig- 30 interposed between a washer. 31 near the forward end of the bar and one of .t-he brace plates 29. The ends of the draw bars.

are threaded and an adjusting or-.lock nut 32 is threaded on the end of eaclrdraw bar. Q By means of the springs a resilient or cushion support is provided for the forward,

driven shaft 24, and by means of the adjusting nuts and springs, the endless propeller may be readily adjusted to tighten or loosen wheels the endless chains 34 pass, one chain 9" at each side of the keel line Of'ZthQ boat.

- versely arranged paddles or blades35, and

go hOllslIlg, and power from themotor is trans. 'mitted through this driveshao t tothe transbolted or riveted. At each end of the paddles are provided brace links 37, loosely joined at opposite ends to the paddles and chains in: order that the links of the chains may readily pass around the sprocket wheels,

and the links brace the paddles against the strainofpressure against the water as the boat is propelled The paddles of course move from fore to aft of the boat under the propelling movement and the brace links holdthe paddles against the Water pressure.

Some of the links of both chains, as 38 in Figure 7-, 'are provided with guide lugs 39 that are offset from the links and located in vertical planes,"'and these lugs co-act with two pairs of guide rails 40 ;extending longitudilongitudinal grooves .42 in theupper face of the pair ofupper-rails, and through similar grooves inthe lower; faces of the pair of lower rails- Along the upper side of the working or propelling flightof the endless propeller a series of bearing rollersisprovided to facilitate the; movement of the propelling flight and to i-reduce friction. For this'purpose a series of transversely arranged, and spaced shafts 43 arelocated between thevtwolower guide'rails 41, and'these rails have journal bearings 44 for the; opposite ends of the Nearthe journal endsof the shafts are located rollers 45' and between the pair of rollersof eachshaft is interposed a spacing sleeve as 46,-it being understood. that the chains 34 have a sliding contact with the series of rollers, and that the latter turn on their journal bearings with the sliding movement' of the chains. "In this manner thefricwheels 33, the chains encounter a pair of cushions or shockaabsorbers that are alined with'the two sets ofrollers, andthese cushions jprevent flapping movement of the chain's-as they pass 1.;from their forward sprockets to the roller bearings. These cushions are :in the nature. of'l'eaf springs 47,

a pivoted at their forward ends at 48 to suit- On the chains are mounted the transable supports, and they extend aft a suitable distance beneath thefmotor housing. The 7 some of the links of the chains are; provided I with complementary. attaching lugs; 36 to .lzwhich the paddles, at their opposite: ends, aref freeends of these leaf springs are resiliently supported at 49 .so that anyitendency to a flapping -.or:flopping movement of the chains as they leave the sprockets is compensated for by the spring devices or resilient supports, and the chains are guided, in frictional sliding contact with the under faces of the leaf springs, to the rollers. Any material slack in the chains is taken up by the chain tighteners, while any slight slackness of the chains is taken up by these leaf springs or cushions.

It will be noted that the portion of the chains passing under the cushions is inclined, thus insuring that the blades or paddles, as they enter the water, after leaving the sprocket wheels, are in a feathering posi-' tion that gradually decreases as toits angularity until the paddle attains its vertical position that is most effective for propulsive purposes. Due to the inclined stretch of the chains, the splash and commotion caused by the paddles entering the water, is materially reduced, and the water is less turbulent to insure a maximum action of the attacking paddles. V

The bottom of the boat, forward of the sprockets 33, is also fashioned to insure maximum efliciency of the paddles, by caus front of the paddles, and to prevent a vacuum condition, or tendency toward a vacuum condition beneath the prow of the boat. As best seen in Figures 2 and 8, the bottom of the boat is provided with a board 50, or bottom portion that inclines upwardly from the bow or stem of the boat. This inclined bottom portion is approximately the'width of the endless propeller, or it may be of greater width, and the aft end of the bottom, forward of the sprockets 33, terminates in a downturned lip 51.

As thus described, it will be apparent that the propulsion mechanism of my invention may be driven with smoothness and unifomity, and at high speed, in order that the propelling action may be a continuous one, and that the mechanism is supported and guided with maximum efficiency to prevent slackness of the chains, and to eliminate vibrations to the boat.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a boat having an endless propeller mechanism operating below the bottom of the boat, of a bottom portion of the boat forward of the mechanism'having an inclination upwardly toward the stern of the boat, and a down turned lip at the aft edge of said bottom portion.

2. The combination in a boat. of the endless chain paddle propeller type, of a housing forming a clearance space for the paddles,.a motor housing enclosed by the first housing and forming spaces fore and aft of the motor housing, the bottom portion of mg a stream of water to flow directly in the boat forward of the forward space having an upwardly inclined angle and terminating in a downturned lip in the forward space.

3. In an endless chain propeller, the combination with a pair of drive sprockets and a pair of idle sprockets, a pair of chains, and means for guiding said chains, of a support aft of the forward sprocket, and a pair of cushion devices having resilient mounts on saidsupport and located aft of the forward sprockets.

4. In an endless chain propeller, the combination with a pair of drive sprockets, a pair of idle sprockets having adjustable bearings, and chains on said sprockets, of a support aft of the forward sprocket, a pair of leaf springs pivoted on said support and interposed between the chains and support, and. a series of transversely. arranged bearing rollers for said chains.

5. The combination with a boat having a paddle housing and, an enclosed motor housing extending along the keel line of the boat, said paddle housing having a clearance space for paddles, and fore and aft shields forming spaces at the ends of the motor housing, of a pair of spaced chains having guide links therein, offset guide lugs on said links, paddles mounted on the chains, an upper an a lower pair of spaced rails for said lugs, and a series of transversely arranged bearing rollers journaled in the lower rails as anti-friction bearings for the lower flights of the chains.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD W. HALL. 

